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One week later.
Inside a street basketball court.
Thud…
The echo of a dunk reverberated throughout the arena.
"Too strong."
"They're really amazing."
"They look like high school students; I wonder which school they're from."
"Looks like this year's high school basketball league is going to be interesting."
The crowd watching from outside the court whispered amongst themselves.
But the scene inside the court was utterly astonishing.
Two teams were playing. One team was full of momentum, their fighting spirit surging like an invincible army that had slaughtered millions. The other team, on the other hand, consisted of players bent over, clutching their knees, panting heavily, their eyes filled with despair and helplessness.
The stark contrast between the two sides made the outcome of the game predictable to anyone who saw it.
Ryu had already realized that the opposing five had given up on the game. So, he stopped attacking and instead passed the ball mostly to his teammates.
Kamimono Kazuo's dunk.
Kuroki Ryuichi's breakthrough.
Kugawa three-pointer.
Hanafuji Souji's tactics.
The four of them practically wore down their opponents.
"This is really boring," Kuroki Ryuichi said after making another basket.
Hearing his words, Kamimono Kazuo reminded him, "They're just for practice. Our real competition is in the National Tournament."
"I understand," Kuroki Ryuichi replied.
Hanafuji Souji said calmly, "Looks like we'll have to change locations again."
"How about we go and play practice matches against other schools?" Kugawa Yuuk's suggestion made everyone's eyes light up.
"That's a good idea," Kuroki Ryuichi was the first to agree.
Hanafuji Souji didn't object.
Kamimono Kazuo thought for a moment, then looked at Ryu and asked, "Ryu, what do you think?"
Ryu was silent for a while before replying, "I think it's better not to."
"Why?" Kuroki Ryuichi asked, puzzled.
Ryu explained, "If it were a practice match, I think the coach would have informed us. Since he didn't, and instead let us find opponents ourselves, it means he has his own considerations. Perhaps he wants us to hide our strength and make a splash at the national tournament."
Hearing Ryu's explanation, everyone fell into deep thought.
Kamimono Kazuo nodded in agreement, "Ryu is right. Right now, we're not well-known. Once we reveal our strength, it will inevitably attract the attention of other schools. In that case, we'll be at a disadvantage at the national tournament. Hiding our strength is necessary."
Sigh…
"Alright! In that case, I have nothing more to say," Kuroki Ryuichi finally compromised.
Kugawa and Hanafuji Souji both tacitly agreed.
The match ended not long after.
Just as they were preparing to leave, Ryu's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw it was a text message from Momoi Satsuki.
Opening the message, Ryu read the information:
[This afternoon is Kuroko and Kise's practice match at Kaijo High School. Yu-Chan, do you want to come watch?]
Yu-Chan?!
Has Momoi Satsuki become bolder now that she's in high school? Rio smiled.
'Kuroko and Kise's practice match! I think Kise lost. I wonder if my presence will change anything.'
After a while, Ryu said to his friends, "I have some things to do and need to leave. You guys go back first."
Hearing this, Kamimono Kazuo waved his hand, "Okay! Since you have something to do, go ahead! But remember, we have a match tomorrow."
Ryu nodded, "I know, don't worry. I'm just going to see some old friends."
With that, Ryu picked up Karupin and waved to everyone as he walked away.
Watching Ryu leave, Kugawa murmured, "Go see a former friend... could he be talking about a former teammate?"
Hearing Kugawa analysis, Kuroki Ryuichi said with interest, "It makes me want to go see them too. How about we follow him?"
"That's not a good idea! What if we get caught?" Hanafuji Souji was somewhat reluctant to follow.
Kamimono Kazuo rolled his eyes at them and then said, "Alright, we're not familiar with Ryu's friends. Let's not bother him. Don't forget we still need to go back and find some substitutes!"
"Oh right, I almost forgot about that. I recently found a pretty good freshman, but it seems he doesn't really like playing basketball," Kugawa said.
Hearing Kugawa say this, Kamimono Kazuo continued, "If he's a promising talent, we'll find a way to get him onto the team. Don't hesitate to ask if you need any help."
...
Meanwhile.
After parting ways with the others, Ryu took Karupin in a taxi and headed straight for the nearby subway station. Because Kaijo High School was in Kanagawa, taking a taxi the whole way would be too slow.
An hour and a half later, Ryu finally arrived in Kanagawa and stood in front of the gates of Kaijo High School.
"This is Kise's school! Looks pretty good!"
Karupin, sitting on his shoulder, transmitted a message, sounding annoyed, 'Hurry up! Don't waste time here.'
"I know! When did you become so impatient?!" With that, Ryu stepped through the gates of Kaijo.
"Speaking of which, those two guys' game should have already started!"
After wandering around for a while, he finally found Kaijo's basketball gym. As soon as he entered, Ryu saw two teams locked in a fierce match.
Seeing the two familiar figures on the court, a smile slowly crept onto Ryu's lips.
'It's been a long time, Kuroko, Kise.'
The scoreboard showed 29-39.
The offensive team was wearing white jerseys with black and red stripes. Ryu immediately spotted Kagami Taiga with his striking red hair.
'That guy must be Kagami! No wonder he came back from America; his physical abilities are truly impressive.'
On the court, Kagami Taiga was dribbling the ball towards Kaijo's basket, with Kise hot on his heels. However, as Kagami Taiga stepped inside Kaijo's three-point line, he tossed the basketball behind him.
Before Kise Ryota could react, the ball had already whizzed past him. When Kise Ryota turned around, he saw a small figure suddenly appear in his field of vision.
'Kuroko?!' Kise Ryota was startled, a bad feeling creeping into his heart, and then his bad feeling came true.
Kuroko Tetsuya caught the ball passed to him by Kagami Taiga, then quickly changed its trajectory, tossing it past Kise Ryota on the other side. The basketball grazed past Kise Ryota and returned to Kagami Taiga's hands.
Seeing this, Ryu smiled slightly. It seemed Kise had been blinded by victory; he couldn't even stop such an obvious play.
Unsurprisingly, Kagami Taiga successfully put the ball into the basket.
Ryu's gaze locked onto Kuroko Tetsuya.
'As expected! With you on the court, the team is a completely different story! But…'
Ryu's eyes narrowed slightly, his silver pupils turning toward Kise Ryota.
'This guy's strength is probably more than this! Is it because he developed an arrogant mentality at Teiko that he can't use his full power?!'
That was highly possible. If Kise Ryota didn't make any changes in this match, then Seirin would definitely be the winner.
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